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1672658

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Winter Fuel Payment: Terminal Illnesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the criteria for winter fuel payments to include people with a terminal illness.
tabling member constituency	Belfast South
tabling member printed	Claire Hanna
uin	3552
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>Winter fuel payments are a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, although the Department for Communities there maintains parity with the Department for Work and Pensions.</p><p> </p><p>Winter fuel payments are made to people who have reached State Pension age and meet the relevant residence criteria in the third week of September each year. There are no plans to change these eligibility criteria. This winter, as last, the payments include the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment of £300 on top of the usual rate of £200 for a pensioner household with someone aged under 80, and £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, the Department is committed to supporting people with a terminal illness. The Special Rules for End of Life enable people with a terminal illness to get faster, easier access to certain benefits without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods; and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.</p><p> </p><p>For many years, the Special Rules for End of Life have applied to people who have six months or less to live, and now they have been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live. Changes to these rules means that thousands of people nearing the end of life will be able to claim fast-tracked financial support from the benefits system six months earlier than they were able to previously.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 30/11/2023 14:44:57 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4827 label Biography information for Claire Hanna

1672662

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Mental Health Services: Veterans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the devolved administrations on extending the remit of Op Courage outside England.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	3519
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>Health is devolved across the four nations of the United Kingdom and the services available therefore may differ across each part of the UK. The Government has not had any discussions with devolved administrations on the potential introduction of Op COURAGE outside England.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 30/11/2023 10:30:01 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1672723

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Africa: Taxation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the UK Permanent Representative at the United Nations voted against the resolution proposed by the Africa Group entitled Promotion of inclusive and effective international cooperation on tax matters at the United Nations; and whether the Government plans to support the development of a new UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation following the adoption of that resolution.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	3536
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>The UK strongly supports developing countries’ efforts to scale-up domestic resource mobilisation to finance sustainable development.</p><p> </p><p>The International Development White Paper published on Monday 20<sup>th</sup> November commits to building a stronger and fairer international tax system for all.</p><p> </p><p>However, the UK, alongside many other countries, is concerned that proceeding with a UN convention on international tax at this time would not be the most effective way to achieve these goals. An Explanation of vote was published on GOV.UK on 22 November: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-uk-is-committed-to-building-a-fairer-international-tax-system-for-all-uk-statement-at-the-un-second-committee" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-uk-is-committed-to-building-a-fairer-international-tax-system-for-all-uk-statement-at-the-un-second-committee</a>.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 28/11/2023 15:08:57 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1672734

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Tobacco: Sales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether adult smokers will be required to present an identification document to retailers after the introduction of the generational ban on smoking.
tabling member constituency	Dartford
tabling member printed	Gareth Johnson
uin	3461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2023 answer text <p>Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom. Smoking causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK and is responsible for just over 70% of all lung cancer deaths. No other consumer product kills up to two-thirds of its users. Smoking costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital because of smoking, and up to 75,000 general practitioner appointments attributed to smoking each month, constituting over 100 appointments every hour.</p><p>This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products. As per existing age of sale legislation, smokers will be required to produce identification if retailers are uncertain that they are above the legal smoking age.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 01/12/2023 14:48:12 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	3970 label Biography information for Gareth Johnson

1672157

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Civil Service: Consultants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to reduce the use of external consultants by the civil service.
tabling member constituency	Wokingham
tabling member printed	John Redwood
uin	3074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2023 answer text <p>The use of consultants provides short term, specialist advisory services for specific engagements. Consultants provide niche skills that are not required full time within the Civil Service.</p><p>Every department is responsible for their own use of consultancy with governance, assurance and control over budgets to ensure value for money.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 01/12/2023 15:11:25 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	14 label Biography information for Sir John Redwood

1672159

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	National Insurance Credits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people (a) applied for and (b) received Specified Adult Childcare credits in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	3134
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The table below shows the total number of applications received for Specified Adult Childcare (SAC) credits in each of the last three years, and numbers that are approved and rejected. Applications for SAC credits can be made from the October following the tax year being applied for.</p><p> </p><p>An application for SAC credits can only be successful where there is a claim for Child Benefit and all other eligibility criteria are met.</p><p>These figures have been taken from management information available at this time and are not official statistics. This means that they have not been subjected to full Quality Assurance procedures.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>SAC reporting year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Applications approved</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct 2022 -Sept 23</p></td><td><p>22,575</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct 2021 - Sept 22</p></td><td><p>17,329</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct 2020 – Sept 21</p></td><td><p>15,927</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 27/11/2023 12:32:59 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1672165

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Listed Buildings: Appleby Magna
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Land Registry does (a) not include a record of the sale in 2011 and (b) include a record of the sale in 2015 of the Old Rectory in Appleby Magna.
tabling member constituency	North West Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Andrew Bridgen
uin	3230
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>The Land Registry only records the most recent transaction unless there are previous transactions which created binding benefits and burdens. Individuals can apply to Land Registry for historic copies of the register showing previous ownership and transaction information.</p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Huw Merriman question first answered 28/11/2023 10:10:55 answering member 4442 label Biography information for Huw Merriman
tabling member	4133 label Biography information for Andrew Bridgen

1672182

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Veterans UK
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral statement of 21 November 2023 by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Official Report, column 214, how much the rebranding of Veterans UK will cost.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	3138
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The Veterans UK branding being retired is generally only used on digital media and letter templates. The removal of the branding will be done through the course of routine updates and within existing budgets and therefore no significant additional costs will be involved.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 27/11/2023 17:17:29 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1672190

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Cost of Living Payments: Folkestone and Hythe
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of cost of living support has been accounted for by spending in Folkestone and Hythe constituency in each year since 2019.
tabling member constituency	Folkestone and Hythe
tabling member printed	Damian Collins
uin	3187
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>Since 2022, the Government has taken significant action to support struggling families with the high cost of living in all constituencies. This includes the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), the £150 Council Tax rebate, fuel and alcohol duty cuts and successive extensions of the Household Support fund, Cost of Living Payments and benefit uprating to millions of the most vulnerable. Taken together, total support over 2022-2025 to help households with the high cost of living is worth £104 billion – an average of £3,700 per UK household.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 27/11/2023 15:41:59 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
tabling member	3986 label Biography information for Damian Collins

1672191

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Cost of Living Payments: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the disability cost of living payment on levels of poverty among disabled people.
tabling member constituency	East Antrim
tabling member printed	Sammy Wilson
uin	3173
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>To date, 6,400,000 Disability Cost of Living Payments have been processed by DWP.</p><p>As of 26 June 2023, over 99% of DWP claimants already eligible for the Disability Cost of Living Payment have had their payments processed.</p><p> </p><p>Management Information on the Cost of Living Payments is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-payment-2023-to-2024-management-information/cost-of-living-payment-2023-to-2024-management-information" target="_blank">Cost of Living Payment 2023 to 2024 management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p>An evaluation of the Cost of Living Payments is underway. This will seek to understand their effectiveness as a means of support for low-income and vulnerable households, including those with a disability.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to reducing poverty, including poverty among disabled people, and supporting low-income families, and has overseen significant falls in absolute poverty since 2009/10.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The proportion of people in families where someone is disabled who are in absolute poverty after housing costs has decreased by 1 percentage point since 2019/20, and by 3 percentage points since 2009/10. The number of people in such families has increased slightly due to an increase in the number of people in families where someone is disabled.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. The total support over 2022-2025 to help households with the high cost of living is £104 billion.</p><p> </p><p>This includes up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments for households on eligible means-tested benefits. The most recent payment of £300 was made between 31 October 2023 and 19 November 2023 for most people who are eligible, which follows on from the £301 payment issued in April 2023 to 8.3 million households. A further payment of £299 will be made by spring 2024 for those entitled. In addition, more than eight million pensioner households across the UK will receive an additional £300 Cost of Living Payment during winter 2023-24 paid as a top up to the Winter Fuel Payment and 6.4 million individuals on eligible ‘extra-costs’ disability benefits have also received a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment.</p><p> </p><p>Since October 2021, the Government have provided total funding of over £2 billion via the Household Support Fund to local authorities in England to enable them to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the cost of essentials. The current scheme worth £842m runs until March 2024 and the devolved administrations receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion. Local authorities are expected to support households in the most need, and in particular those who may not be eligible for the other support the Government recently made available, but are nevertheless in need of support. In the scheme guidance, local authorities have been strongly encouraged to explore ways in which they might use the funding to support disabled people in their area.</p><p /><p>On 1 April 2024, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44, representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>Subject to parliamentary approval, working-age benefits will rise by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with inflation, including Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. The Basic and New State Pensions will be uprated by 8.5% in line with earnings, as part of the ‘triple lock”.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 28/11/2023 17:51:32 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	1593 label Biography information for Sammy Wilson